32 topics · Preschool to Grade 8

How planes, trains and cars work

How do airplanes stay up, and how does a submarine dive and come back up? These topics follow everything that carries people and things from place to place. Children watch air flow over a wing, see how a bicycle's gears turn pedaling into speed, steer a car through its differential and find out why a hot-air balloon rises. They look inside jet engines, rockets, trains, sailboats and hovercraft, then explore the safety ideas that protect riders, from seat belts and airbags to life jackets and lifeboats. Each topic has an animated explanation, a part-by-part look inside, a hands-on simulation and a challenge, with words that change for preschool, elementary and middle school.

1Watch it
2Look inside
3Try it
4Solve a challenge
5Go deeper

32 topics in Flight & transportation

Flight & transportation

#1 Flight & transportation How do airplanes fly? Explore wings, engines, and flight controls. Watch airflow around a wing, adjust speed and wing angle, and try taking off and landing.

#2 Flight & transportation How do birds fly? Watch wings and feathers in slow motion. Compare flapping, soaring, and gliding, then experiment with different wing shapes and flying conditions.

#3 Flight & transportation How do helicopters fly and hover? Explore the main rotor, tail rotor, and controls. Adjust a simplified helicopter's lift and direction to take off, hover, turn, and land.

#4 Flight & transportation How do rockets reach space? Look inside a rocket and follow its launch stages. Watch exhaust leave as the rocket accelerates, then experiment with thrust and cargo weight.

#5 Flight & transportation How do boats and huge ships float? Explore buoyancy using different hull shapes. Build a virtual boat, add cargo, and investigate how its shape affects how much it can carry.

#6 Flight & transportation How do submarines dive and surface? Look inside ballast tanks and follow the movement of water and air. Control a submarine's depth and balance during an underwater mission.

#7 Flight & transportation How do trains work? Explore wheels, motors, brakes, and track switches. Build a small railway, move passengers or cargo, and guide trains through stations and junctions.

#8 Flight & transportation How do bicycles work? Follow motion from the pedals through the chain to the rear wheel. Change gears on hills and explore steering, balance, and brakes.

#9 Flight & transportation How does a car engine work? Watch a transparent engine in slow motion. Follow air and fuel entering, compression, combustion, and exhaust, then trace the motion toward the wheels.

#10 Flight & transportation How do electric cars work? Follow energy from the battery to the motor and wheels. Drive a short course, recharge the battery, and explore how regenerative braking recovers energy.

#123 Flight & transportation How do parachutes slow a fall? Change canopy size and cargo mass, then compare descent and landing in a simulation.

#124 Flight & transportation How do hot-air balloons rise and descend? Heat or cool the balloon's air and observe changes in lift and height.

#125 Flight & transportation How do hovercraft travel over land and water? Follow air into the cushion beneath a hovercraft and steer across different surfaces.

#126 Flight & transportation How do sailboats use the wind? Adjust sail angle and rudder position to navigate with winds from different directions.

#127 Flight & transportation How do jet engines produce thrust? Follow air through compression, heating, and expansion inside a transparent engine.

#128 Flight & transportation How do propellers push vehicles forward? Rotate blades through air or water and inspect the direction of the resulting flow.

#129 Flight & transportation How do disc brakes stop a vehicle? Press pads against a spinning disc and compare stopping under different simulated conditions.

#130 Flight & transportation How does a car's steering system work? Trace steering-wheel movement through a rack, linkages, and the front wheels.

#131 Flight & transportation How does a differential help a car turn? Drive around corners and compare the speeds of the inner and outer wheels.

#132 Flight & transportation How do tires grip the road? Compare tread, road conditions, and tire pressure in a driving and braking simulation.

#133 Flight & transportation How do seat belts protect passengers? Stop a model vehicle and observe how a belt restrains a passenger's continued motion.

#134 Flight & transportation How do airbags cushion passengers? Watch a simulated collision and explore inflation, cushioning, and passenger movement.

#135 Flight & transportation How do windshield wipers move back and forth? Follow a rotating motor's movement through the linkage that sweeps the wiper blades.

#136 Flight & transportation How do tracked vehicles cross soft ground? Compare wheels and tracks while moving the same load across simulated mud or sand.

#137 Flight & transportation How do snowmobiles move over snow? Explore the driving track and steering skis while navigating a snowy course.

#138 Flight & transportation How do hydrofoil boats rise above the water? Increase speed and watch underwater wings lift a model boat's hull.

#139 Flight & transportation How do paddles move and steer a kayak? Compare paddle strokes that propel, turn, slow, or reverse a virtual kayak.

#140 Flight & transportation How do scuba regulators deliver breathing gas? Follow compressed gas through a simplified regulator as surrounding water pressure changes.

#141 Flight & transportation How do self-righting lifeboats turn upright again? Tilt model boats and compare how hull shape and weight placement affect recovery.

#142 Flight & transportation How do life jackets help people float? Explore buoyant material, body position, and stability around a floating character.

#195 Flight & transportation How does a gas pump stop when the tank is full? Follow fuel through pumping and metering, then explore the nozzle's shutoff mechanism.

#196 Flight & transportation How does a manual wheelchair move and turn? Operate push rims independently and explore steering, caster wheels, and brakes.

Keep exploring

Games to play

Plane Flight SimulatorTake off from the runway and thread numbered sky hoops in order. Every clean flight is a new personal best.
Machine RepairFix levers, pulleys, gears and ramps so every contraption works.
Timetable TerminalRead the departure board, count the minutes and catch your connection on time.

Guide for grown-ups

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